Critics on Costume: Fashions change

This humorous picture by Callcott Horsley pokes fun at both the worlds of fashion and art. Two elegantly dressed eighteenth-century women are critiquing the Elizabethan costume worn in the portrait of Queen Elizabeth I resting on the floor, whilst the anxious art dealer waits behind the open door for their verdict. Painted in 1877, at a time when fashions had changed yet again, Horsley has relished in painting the details of the different fabrics, furniture and objects. The beautiful blue-and-white porcelain bowl filled with water or vinegar and a sponge which has recently been used to clean the painting, particularly catches the eye. The portrait of Queen Elizabeth I is based on one painted around 1590, now in the collection at Compton Verney, Warwickshire (fig. 1).